Turbo Trainer

Elite Novo Power Mag 

Due to the vagaries of shiftwork, the constraints on my free time mean that I cannot always afford the dilly-dallying of my usual training rides around the park. Marginal incremental dilly-dallying soon adds up to a good deal of time wasted on faffage in the hour I spend 'training'. Firstly there is getting ready - not only the actual getting ready itself but the also the thinking about getting ready. Once I have spent ten minutes deciding on whether to go or not - and having had to choreograph all my other very important activities - I then proceed with the getting-the-clobber-on, the getting-the-water-bottle, and finally the getting-the-bike-to-the-road. Then there is the traffic on en route but before that there is the embarrassing wait as my Mickey Mouse Garmin 810, which couldn't find Sputnik in a satellite shop, finds a GPS fix. Being stationary at traffic lights is not a feature of a training regime. Highly fit cyclists working out on high-end training ride are usually photographed riding up a mountain road and not stopped on the high street behind a number 16. Likewise, any other kind of involuntary stopping is also a detriment. Zebra-crossings, more traffic lights, right turns etc all add up. All in all I reckon I can spend 10 minutes of a 45-minute cycle ride not actually cycling or moving at all. There will another five minutes of slowing down and speeding up as a approach and leave the particular stoppage. This statistic is usually borne out by my strava. In spite of bombing around and breaking personal bests, I get home to find the average speed is something a beginner on a chopper in flip-flops would be happy with. The 'time spent moving' also shows that grim reality of useless stoppages as it a good few minutes less than the 'time elapsed'  - and does not take account of the slowing down and speeding up, as mentioned above.

Of course, if it is tipping down outside I am going to cave altogether.

So, it is not just the quantity of time spent not cycling, it is the time spent not cycling very effectively that means I have had to look at the alternative of cycling indoors.
My only concern about the darned thing that would cover my last remaining floorspace was the racket would make. One review of a device said the sound it produced was no more than a conversation. I've known some dull talkers before but none that sounded like a wheel going round. Many products were advertised as being quiet and so that became less of an issue. Once past that, the devices fall into three types: the direct drive style that you swap for your back wheel, the type to which you attach your back wheel, and the simple rollers. The direct drive was out of the question budget wise and also required more faffing about withe the removal of the wheel, the second type broke down into two styles - one with in-built sensors that covered speed, cadence and power, and, one that didn't have any gadgets at all. The rollers didn't appeal as they looked likely to be the noisier. After thinking about this and wondering about that, I eventually chose an 'entry-level' (polite way of saying cheap) machine by Elite from Wiggle. The Novo Power Mag (very similar to the Novo Force) is currently £129.99 (April 2018).

The Mag Power Elastogel is a sturdy basic trainer that allows you to attach and detach the bike easily - once you have installed the QR skewer that is supplied in the box. The set up instructions are quite easy to follow and takes ten or so minutes to complete. The machine is a wee bit cumbersome and may suit being positioned somewhere permanently rather than being moved about every time it is used.

The machine is not 'quiet' quiet as the wheel whirrs around along with the grinding of the chain upon the cogs. There is also a low frequency vibration that I couldn't locate. This may be related to the bike and its heavy wheels. There is a related issue of tyre wear. A normal tyre, it is said, may wear out faster as well as being inherently noisy. A trainer tyre will last longer and be quieter. Such a tyre will scupper the quick fit of your bike from road to turbo. But if you already have skinny tyres they will probably suffice.

There is a lever with eight settings to increase/decrease the magnetic resistance via a cable to the 'Mag' device. This requires attachment to the bike and negates the easy removal/install of the bike as it a fiddly bracket job akin to a light fitting. I have been using the lever on one setting without attaching it to the bike.

As this model has no sensors, to get an idea of my power output, I emailed the manufacturers about the 'power curves' or data of the various speeds vs resistance levels - and they duly sent me a handy table of figures. From this table it is easy to calculate your approximate power output - once you have ascertained your speed. One things to remember about indoor cycling is that your weight and that of the bike no longer inhibit your speed as you are not actually moving - obvious, I guess. Though if you have either a very light or very heavy rear wheel, its weight would be a slight issue.

Garmin Speed and Cadence sensors

Speed can be determined by the trusty cyclo computer, with its spoke magnet. This 'simply' calculates or counts the number of revolutions of the wheel. I point this out because the other option is a speed sensor and the method it uses to determine speed has something to do with the earth's magnetic field: (From Garmin's FAQ) The BSS (Bike Speed Sensor) contains a magnetometer that measures the three dimensional components of the ambient magnetic field (similar to an accelerometer measuring acceleration). As the wheel rotates, the magnetometer measures its own rotation within the surrounding earth's magnetic field. The earth's magnetic field does not vary much (if at all) over the course of a bike ride.
Yes, it really is as simple as that!

While the humble cycle computer does not retain data for an upload to a device, the sensor does. How the various brands and models do this and with what type of data will require lots of browsing. There are Bluetooth models and there are those that use Ant+ and there are some that use both. I plumbed for a Garmin that simply attaches to your rear hub and activates once the wheel rotates. It then connects with my Garmin 810 (once you have paired the devices). Once you have distance and time, you can get your stats and the 'ride' will head over to Strava and the like as per a normal ride. Of course, with Garmin being Garmin, you'll find you managed 49ft of elevation from the comfort of your over-sized broom cupboard.

The big question that has yet to be answered is how much the turbo trainer ride resembles a real ride.
I have no intention of buying power pedals/cranks and so does the turbo and its resistance levels replicate going up a hill and the effect of the 90kg of combined cyclist/bike weight? Over the eight levels of resistance I am sure it will. You can get a rough idea by browsing and checking the stats of riders who have power meters on their road bikes. This will give you enough of an idea of what settings and average speed you need to be using and attaining. What you don't want to do is over-do it - and knacker your muscles. There are volumes of advice on how to warm up and turbo-train out there on the webernet. When all is said and done if you are sweating and breathing fast as you'd be doing out on the road then you are pretty much there. That brings me to the one drawback of these machines: sweat. Out on the road, some perspiration will evaporate in the breeze, some will wick away and some will stay in your clothing. Indoors it will be on you or the floor. So be prepared to do a wee bit of housekeeping after each session.